On April 14, legendary rapper Kendrick Lamar released his fourth studio album, Damn. With simple, lo-fi beats and heavy lyrical content, this album shows a direction shift in Lamar’s music from his previous work. Let’s see if Damn is up to the standards we expect of a rapper in their prime.

1. “BLOOD.”

This album starts out with a fairly interesting, lo-fi segue. “Blood” seems to present a tone for the rest of the album to follow, and gives a message on the racial tensions due to the resurrection of conservatism in America. An outro transitions us to the next track.

2. “DNA.”

This upbeat track is honestly amazing. The beat is great, the lyrics reflect the concept of racial identity, and the wordplay is creative. DNA is used as a hook to for this identity concept, and the ending is perfectly abrupt.

3. “YAH.”

“YAH.” gives us quite a contrast in feel from the previous track. The beat is chill and the lyrics are less in your face. There still is a clear lyrical message of black identify and sticking together in tough times. I honestly wish this track was a little longer, because it’s great to listen to.

4. “ELEMENT.”

Although I like the hook from a melodic standpoint, and appreciate the complexity of some of the beat work here, the lyrics just seem weaker than what we’ve heard thus far. However, the message is still pro-black identity, and at the end of this track, there’s a NICE outro.

5. “FEEL.”

After a really weird intro, we’re presented with this really unique mystic sounding beat. As soon as we get our bearings, we hear Kendrick pour his heart out into lyrically complex and heartbreakingly honest verses as he describes how he’s currently feeling both in terms of racial issues and his internal struggles. I think this is a very relatable track and one of the high points of the album.

6. “LOYALTY.” (feat. Rihanna)

Other than the Loyalty hook where Kendrick and Rihanna complement each other quite well, this song is pretty lackluster in my opinion. It’s not bad, but there really isn’t anything that makes it stand out at any point.

7. “PRIDE.”

Kendrick is really killing it with the intros, because this track has yet another great one, full of mystique, sadness, and uncertainty. As the title implies, these lyrics are very reflexive on how Kendrick is feeling. The track has a very chill but sad vibe, and the hook is pretty solid too, very “progressive” sounding. We hear some more cool textures as the song closes out.

8. “HUMBLE.”

This is similar to “DNA” in that is has a loud beat and in your face lyrics. The piano added to the beat is a nice touch. Lyrically, it isn’t as strong as “DNA,” but the lyrics seem to present this message of people sitting back and not taking action towards certain things.

9. “LUST.”

Kendrick shows off his singings skills throughout this track, uses some cool vocal effects, and presents it all over an extremely creative beat. When he’s rapping, Kendrick shows off some of his fast and wordier lyrics. It’s a very good change of pace and very chill track. The monologue like sequence towards the end is well done.

10. “LOVE.” (feat. Zacari)

This track is upbeat and feel-good! Not to mention Zacari’s voice is a great addition. Kendrick shows off more of his singing skills as he sings about the woman he loves. The beat, hook, lyrics, and melody are all one of a kind and fantastic. It’s quite a change for an album that so far has been very serious and somber.

11. “XXX.” (feat. U2)

I believe this track is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. From the first lyrics, which describe America is only good to some people, I’m just drawn in to this brutally honest and musically erratic piece. Surprisingly, the band U2 is a great addition to this track.

12. “FEAR.”

Despite the chill beat, we are given even more heavy and honest lyrics in this track. As the title suggests, these lyrics reflect the fear of God and society’s obsessions with respecting religion, power, and authority. Kendrick alludes to his own personal experiences as well as the experiences of several people from similar backgrounds. Conceptually, it seems like this near eight-minute track, which references the Damn title, represents the climax of the album. I don’t want to give away the outro, but it’s beautifully chilling.

13. “GOD.”

From the start, this is a clear chill track. Kendrick shows off a lot of singing and playful lyrical structure, and the beat compliments him well. I don’t really have anything else to say about this one, but it’s solid even though it’s far from an album highlight.

14. “DUCKWORTH.”

The album’s closing track opens up with a really cool and harmonizing intro, and awkwardly transitions into the verse. Lyrically, this track deals with Kendrick reflecting on himself, as one would expect him to based on the content of this album. The beat changes up quite a few times, but it keeps the song interesting and is musically very cool. For one last time, Kendrick wows us with some great wordplay. The song’s outro alludes back to the beginning of the album.

Well, Kendrick, you’ve done it again. This album gets a 10/10 from me! If you haven’t yet listened to Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, I highly recommend that you do.